Phonograph



L. DE FLOREZ PHONOGRAPH Filed Dec. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet, 1

Dec. 16, 1924.

L. DE FLORE Z PHONOGRAPH Filed Dec. 1922 as a 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 15, 1924.

L. DE FLOREZ PHONOGRAPH Filed Dec. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 anvewtoz L. DE FLOREZ PHONOGRAPH Filed Dec. 1922 4 Sheets$heet 4 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

LUIS DE FLOREZ, OF POMFBET, CONNECTIQU '1.

PHONOGRAPE.

Application filed December 29, 1922. Serial No. 609,604.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUIS DE FLoREz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pomfret, in the county of Windham and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement'in' Phonographs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a phonograph and has for. its object to produce a device of this character of a compact portable form without sacrificing tone quality or volume. Particularly my invention relates to the arrangement and coordination of the parts in such a manner as to enable the operating portions of the mechanism to be housed in a relatively small container and to this end one of the features of my invention is an arrangement by which the horn and sound box may be housed and secured so as to decrease the size of the box within which the phonograph is contained and to prevent damage to the horn and sound box in transportation.

In the drawings accompanying my specification I have shown,

In Fig. 1, a plan view, partially in section of my improved device, showing the tone arm and sound box in the playing position in full lines and in the housed position in dotted lines;

In Fi 2, a sectional view on the line 2--2 of ig. 1,

In Fig. 3, a sectional view on the lines 33 of Fig. 1, v

In Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 detail views of the device shown in Fig. 1,

In Figs. 8 and 9, detail views of a modification of the tone arm, and

In Figs. 10 and 11, plan and sectional views of a modified form of my devicein which the tone armis housed beneath the turn table.

'My improved device comprises a relatively shallow box 1, having a cover 2, which may be mounted upon the box by means of hinge 3, and the movement of which may be limited by means of the toggle 4. Box 1 contains a motor 5, of any suitable construction, the construction of the motor not being a feature of the present invention, which motor is used to drive a turn table 6 of any suitable construction in the usual manner. The turn table may be arrested by means of the brake 7 and its speed of rotation may be regulated by means of the regulator 8.

At the rear of the box 1 I provide a sound reflector which may be of any suitable configuration, but which preferably has substantially the configuration illustrated in the drawings, and may be conveniently formed by means of the blocks 9 and 10, and the side walls 11 and 12. I

At one end of the sound reflecting chamber the tone arm 13 is pivotally mounted as upon the pivot 14, held by means of yoke 15 to the bed plate 16. The tone arm. carries at its opposite end the usual sound box 17, having a needle 18 which cooperates with the record on the turn table 6.

The bed plate 16 is hingedly mounted as by the hinge 19 to the box 1. In this manner universal movement of the tone arm is provided, since rotation about the vertical pivot 14 to follow the grooves in the record is permitted and oscillation about the hinge 19 may be had to permit the needle to follow thglinequalities of the record or of the turn ta e.

It will be noted that the position of the hinge 19 is so chosen that it is intermediate the vertical projections of the ends of the tone arm and that a portion only of the weight of the tone arm rests upon the record. The position of the hinge 19 is selected having regard for the weight of the sound box and the weight and length of the tone arm so that the correct amount of pressure only is exerted upon the needle 18 and the tone arm is retained in playing position by reason of the positioning of'the hinge 19, the tone arm being properly balanced as to require no other elements to support the same. I

When it is desired to house the instrument the sound, box 17 is elevated so as to clear the record and is swung upon the pivot 14 until it attains a position over the sound reflecting chamber. It is .then turned on hinge 19 to bring it into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position the upper edge of the sound box does not project substantially above the level of the turn table, and the arm rests upon the padded bracket 20, to which it may be secured by means of the spring clip'21.

I find that in some instances when the irregularities of the turn table are relatively plate the turn table in its playing position, the

properly eat, movement of the tone arm about the inge 19 produces a sutficient variation m the sound reflecting chamber to modulate the tone of the instrument, and when the irregularities are due to such causes as an untrue turn table these modulations may occur periodically. To avoid this effect, I have devised the modification shown in F1 5. 8 and 9 in which a portion of the soun reflecting chamber is carried by the base plate 16. Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that there is secured to the lower part of the base 16 a sound reflecting element 22, which may be in the form of a casting of suitable metal, such for instance as aluminum, which serves to support one end of the pivot 14, the other end being supported in the bracket 23.

M instrument may be provided with the usua accessories, such as locks 24., record album 25, needle tray 26, carrying handle 27, etc., and is preferably supported upon feet 28, so as not to interfere with the resonance of the case which may be of wood or metal as desired.

In the modification shown in Figs. 10 and 11, I have provided means whereby the space in the case not occupied by the motor and the reflecting chamber may be used for storage, and if desired, may be used to house the tone arm and sound box, instead of housing the same in the reflecting chamber. It will be understood that if this space is used to house the tone arm a reflecting chamber or amplifying horn of any suitable construction may be used since its shape is not limited by reason of the necessity for housing the horn therein.

To enable the space beneath the turn table to be reached, I provide means whereby the turn table may be tilted out of its playing position, which means however are so arranged that when the turn table is returned to its playing position it will be held in a centered and level position.

Referring to Fig. 11, the turn table spindle 29 has mounted upon it and fixedly attached to it a member 30 at right angles to the axis of rotation of the'spindle, which member extends a short distance to one side of the spindle (to the left as shown in Fi 1) and extends to the right of the spind e to a point adjacent the periphery of the turn table. At the end of the member 30 a hinge 31 is provided which hingeis attached to the turn table 6. The aperture'32 in the center of the turn table is made slight ly larger than the diameter of the turn table spindle 29. Secured beneath the turn table is a sprin catch 33 adapted to cooperate with the s ort arm of member 30 to hold downward movement of the turn table being limited by the engagement of the boss 34 with the upper surface of member 30. By

means of the arrangement described above it will be apparent that the turn table may be raised about the hing access to the portion of t and is locked in the playing position.

The tone arm 13, in the event that it is desired to house it beneath the turn table as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is attached to the base plate 16 as in the modification described above, but the base plate is hin ed on the wall of the sound reflecting1 chain or in such a manner as to permit the orn to be rotated to theposition shown in Fig. 11, instead of to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. By this arrangement I am enabled to house the tone arm beneath the turn table by rotating the tone arm upon its vertical axis and then rotating it about the hinge 19 to bring it to the ositionshown in Figs. 10 and 11. A. suita le padded rest 35 and spring clip 36 are rovided.

It will be understood t at this modifica- 31, thus giving e case beneath it,

tion of my invention is not necessarily limited to housing the horn beneath the turn table, but that this space may be used to house any auxiliary apparatus, such for instance as the winding crank or supplies, or otherwise as desired.

Many changes may be made without de parting from the spirit of my invention, and 'I therefore do not intend to confine myself to the particular details shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a phonograph, a tone arm pivotally mounted at one end thereof and having a sound box at the opposite end thereof, and a hinged mounting for supporting said tone arm located intermediate the ends thereof and so positioned as to balance the tone arm when in playing position and to permit said tone arm to be housed within the phonograph case by manipulation of the tone arm itself.

2. In a phonograph, a tone arm, a base plate pivotally mounting said tone arm and provided with a hinge or the like, said hinge being located at such a position intermediate the ends of the tone arm as to properly balance and retain said tone arm in playing POS1iZ10IL- 3. In a honograph, a casing, a motor contained t erein, a sound reflecting chamber at the rear thereof, and a pivoted tone sound reflecting chamber extending across the casing at the rear thereof, said sound reflecting chamber being open at the top thereof, a tone arm pivotally mounted at one end of said sound reflecting chamber and hingedly mounted to the anterior wall thereof, said hinged mounting being so positioned as to balance said tone arm and retain the same in playing position, said tone arm being adapted by rotation about said pivot and hinge to be housed within said sound reflecting chamber.

5. In a phonograph, a casing having a sound reflecting chamber, a base plate, a tone arm pivotally mounted upon the base plate, a hinged mounting for said base plate attached thereto at its edge adjacent the rear end of the tone arm and attached to the casing adjacent one wall of the sound reflecting chamber, said base plate being adapted to be swung downwardly into the sound re:

flecting chamber to house said tone arm solely upon manipulation of the tone arm itself.

6. In a phonograph a casing having a sound reflecting chamber, a hingedly mounted base plate, a tone arm pivotally mounted thereon, and a sound reflecting element attached to said base plate on the lower side i thereof, and adapted to discharge into the sound reflecting chamber of the casing, said base plate, sound reflecting element and hinged mounting being so positioned with respect to the tone arm as to properly balance and retain said tone arm in playing position.

7. In a phonograph, a casing having the rear portion thereof formed into a sound reflecting chamber, a tone arm, a base plate pivotally supporting saidtone arm and hingedly secured to the anterior wall of the sound reflecting chamber, said hinge being positioned intermediate the ends of the tone arm whereby said tone arm is balanced and retained in playing position, said tone arm being adapted by rotation about said pivot and hinge to be stored within the sound reflecting chamber solely by manipulation of the tone arm itself.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 22nd day of December.

LUIS DE FLOREZ. 

